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07-27-2010, 07:25 PM
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#21
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Northern IL
Posts: 26,886
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Quote:
Originally Posted by happy2bretired
I think I've had 3 hearing aids in about 22 years. One analog and two digital. Since mine is a behind the ear model I occasionally have the earmold and tubing replaced. The tubing is no big deal, maybe $6 - $10 once a year or so. The earmold is more expensive, maybe $50-$60 once every 2 or 3 years. ...
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This is good to know. It reinforces my (theoretical) preference for Behind-The-Ear designs. It makes sense that since only a small, inexpensive portion is in the ear (a harsh environment for sensitive electronics), and that it is replaceable, that the BTE models should be more reliable and have a lower total-cost-of-ownership.
-ERD50
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07-27-2010, 08:04 PM
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#22
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Portland, Oregon
Posts: 7,113
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Above all quality of life has value. Would we choose readers from WalMart when an Optician says we need prescription glasses?
Unaided hearing nerves loose their capacity to process sound. Our son was hard of hearing during his school years. He wore hearing aids. When his eustachian tubes grew so that sound could be processed those nerves were ready to do the job (and he had developed the skill to read lips). That is not to say that expensive is better.
__________________
Duck bjorn.
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08-06-2010, 07:43 AM
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#23
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Dryer sheet aficionado
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 47
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True "cookie bite" hearing losses are unusual and very difficult to fit with hearing aids due to the recovery of the high frequencies, where normally there is a gradual slope off. Digital aids with their frequency banding and compression channels would be my choice along with the advice to see an audiologist who will do unlimited adjustments.
I don't think you will be happy with low tech or Costco solutions due to the
uniqueness of your loss. It would be a penny wise, pound foolish buy.
Hearing aids can last ten years or more and due to the programmability of
good digital aids they can be greatly modified to fit your needs. I would recommend springing to annual H.A. insurance. It even covers loss.
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08-06-2010, 07:45 AM
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#24
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Dryer sheet aficionado
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 47
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brat
Above all quality of life has value. Would we choose readers from WalMart when an Optician says we need prescription glasses?
Unaided hearing nerves loose their capacity to process sound. .
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Sorry, except for infants and very young children in language development,
that's not true.
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08-06-2010, 11:12 AM
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#25
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Portland, Oregon
Posts: 7,113
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Humm, that is interesting. Our son had a lot of problems with ear infections as a young child. Perhaps that is when we were told about the risk of unrecoverable hearing loss and assumed that the 'use it or loose it' was a lifetime process.
I suspect that my husband has had a mild hearing loss all his life as he often miss-pronounces words. He doesn't seem to distinguish some vowels.
Now that I have brought up the subject of ear infections, and you are a hearing doc, do they seem concentrated in certain communities? I know that in my family the development of the skull and jaw (flat eustachian tube in boys until adolescence) impacts the development of ear infections. I wonder if the fact that we live in an area with hills tall enough to manifest pressure changes in short time frames contribute to this problem because small children can't 'pop their ears'.
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Duck bjorn.
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08-06-2010, 11:51 AM
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#26
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Dryer sheet aficionado
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 47
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brat
Humm, that is interesting. Our son had a lot of problems with ear infections as a young child. Perhaps that is when we were told about the risk of unrecoverable hearing loss and assumed that the 'use it or loose it' was a lifetime process.
I suspect that my husband has had a mild hearing loss all his life as he often miss-pronounces words. He doesn't seem to distinguish some vowels.
Get him to an Audiologist... you might find out he just isn't listening to you
I wonder if the fact that we live in an area with hills tall enough to manifest pressure changes in short time frames contribute to this problem because small children can't 'pop their ears'.
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Probably not, community environmental concerns like air pollution can play a part though.
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08-06-2010, 01:29 PM
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#27
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Portland, Oregon
Posts: 7,113
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Well, since DH (who is in his early 70s) has worn aids for about 6 years we know he has had a hearing loss for probably 15 years. I mentioned his Audiologist in an earlier posting in this thread. What I was commenting on was his pronunciation which has gotten worse, but was in evidence even in his mid-30s when we met.
With regards to ear infections, the air pollution level in Portland, OR when my son was young was actually quite low for an urban area. It would be interesting if an organization such as Kaiser would do a study. Kaiser has a large child patient load with records that follow them through adolescence in many communities. The pool should be large enough for statistical validity.
__________________
Duck bjorn.
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08-07-2010, 09:07 AM
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#28
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Dryer sheet wannabe
Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by heardoc
True "cookie bite" hearing losses are unusual and very difficult to fit with hearing aids due to the recovery of the high frequencies, where normally there is a gradual slope off. Digital aids with their frequency banding and compression channels would be my choice along with the advice to see an audiologist who will do unlimited adjustments.
I don't think you will be happy with low tech or Costco solutions due to the uniqueness of your loss. It would be a penny wise, pound foolish buy. Hearing aids can last ten years or more and due to the programmability of good digital aids they can be greatly modified to fit your needs. I would recommend springing to annual H.A. insurance. It even covers loss.
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Thank you. This is most helpful and I appreciate it.
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